SINGAPORE (AFP) – Former world number one Nelly Korda survived a “little oopsy” to card a four-under-par 68, four strokes behind surprise leader Elizabeth Szokol, after the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore yesterday.
Olympic champion Korda was in a tie for third place after she managed to scramble a par following a wayward tee shot on the short fourth hole and stay in touch with Szokol. Korda’s fellow American, who is ranked 153 in the world, shot a superb eight-under-par 64 at Sentosa Golf Club.
The 2021 US Women’s Open champion, Japan’s Yuka Saso, was lying second, three shots back, after a 67 at the USD1.8 million LPGA event.
“I played really solid,” said Korda, who is ranked second in the world and was coming off a tie for sixth place at LPGA Thailand last weekend.
“I kind of had one little oopsy, and that was on the par three.”
Szokol put daylight between herself and a star-studded field containing the top five in the world and 18 of the top 20.
Szokol opened with a bogey at the 10th, her first hole, but from there never looked back, carding seven birdies and an eagle to surge to the top of the leaderboard.
